Foreigner’s Mick Jones and Lou Gramm will reunite this June to perform at their induction into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame.
"It feels fantastic. I was just stunned [when I found out about it],” Gramm tells Artisan News. “I read up on the Songwriters Hall Of Fame, and boy, are we in some good company. And when I say 'we,' I mean, Mick Jones and myself are being inducted together, which is… you know, I think it's a really, really good thing. And I've talked with Mick for the first time in over ten years. He seems to be doing well; his health has improved quite a bit.” (Last year, Jones underwent heart surgery in Miami.)
"The Hall Of Fame people would like for us, actually, to perform a few songs,” continued Gramm, “so I've been on the phone with Mick talking about what couple of songs we're gonna do, and I think we're gonna do them with the house band for the awards show."
The singer revealed which one of the pair initiated contact about the upcoming ceremony.
"I made the call,” said Gramm. “It wasn't so difficult, considering we were both being honored as a songwriting team. I didn't have any trepidations about it. I called him and congratulated him, and then he congratulated me. And we both knew that they were expecting us to perform a couple of songs and we got right down to talking about it. And I think there's probably gonna be a couple of rehearsals with the house band, too — maybe the day before the awards — and whatever happens, it's gonna be a lot of fun."
Lou left Foreigner in 1990, rejoining them between 1999 and 2003; these days, the band continue to record and perform with Gramm sound-alike Kelly Hansen on lead vocals.
Jones and Gramm will be joined by fellow honorees Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Holly Knight, JD Souther and Tony Hatch at the organization’s 44th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner June 13 in New York City.
Established in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) serves as a vital bridge between music’s past and future. In the Hall, musical pioneers are enshrined and celebrated, while the organization’s outreach to the music community grooms the next generation of troubadours.
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